Out and About - Jubilant Jubilee festivities!

Fun, fashion, food and of course lots of tea!
It's been a very busy few weeks, out and about for the Jubilee festivities and enjoying our short-lived Summer weather!

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party...
In the run up to the Jubilee, I went to a fabulous and very appropriately-themed wedding with (you've guessed it!) a tea theme! The cake was in the shape of a teapot, surrounded by cupcakes, and the favours were the cutest little cards with quotes about tea and a sachet of high quality English Breakfast tea inside!  The quote on mine was, very appropriately, from the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland!

"March Hare: How about a nice cup of tea?
Alice: Well I'm sorry, but I haven't the time!"

Pastel bunting adorned the party, the sun was shining and we were all very much in the mood for a celebration!  The bride and groom had gone to such great trouble and detail to make it a special day for everyone involved - what a lovely way to spend a sunny friday!

My Jimmy Choo shoes - image courtesy of Sarah Janes Photography

The perfect wedding outfit?
I was really happy with my outfit too - a lovely dress and matching shrug/bolero jacket from Uttam Boutique, bought from the gorgeous Yumi in Kingston.  And I wore the shoes I had bought for my wedding - my beloved satin Jimmy Choos! 

View from the White Swan

Well, Summer was here...
That was the start of the gloriously summery weekend, which we really made the most of! Once we got back home, we ventured outside and sat on a blanket on the riverside outside the wonderful White Swan pub in Twickenham, watching the world go by and drinking ice cold Rekorderlig Strawberry and Lime - what a fantastic summer drink!  It was almost like being beside the seaside...


Organic food and drink in stunning surroundings - Ham House and Gardens

Ham House and Gardens

Ham House Gardens

Rather disturbed by witnessing a moorhen fight/mating ritual(!), we headed down the riverbank to get the Hammerton Ferry over to Ham House and Gardens, where we enjoyed organic beer and Fentiman's Rose Lemonade in the sunny gardens of the Orangery Cafe.  After a stroll around the kitchen gardens for inspiration, we wandered round the stunning gardens and I managed to get some lovely pictures on this beautifully clear, hot and sunny day.

The River God at Ham House

More tea?
No visit would be complete without a visit to the gift shop, where I purchased some of the herbs we'd seen earlier, and ones I use regularly in my cooking - Thyme, Lemon Thyme and Tarragon. I will post my recipe for Tarragon chicken, using these lovely herbs, next!
I also got some lovely books: Comfort Food - providing more cooking inspiration - and A Taste of Tea by Brian Glover - a fascinating history of the various rituals associated with drinking tea.

Inspiring reads - Comfort Food and a Taste of Tea

I never go to a National Trust shop without buying Lemon Curd  - and this time I bought some Raspberry Curd to try as well! I feel another afternoon tea coming on...

Gloriana moored at Richmond

Jubilee celebrations!
During the Jubilee weekend, Twickenham was hosting the Charlie Shore Regatta as part of the Twickenham Riverside Jubilee Festival - Twickenham Alive. Always a fun event, this year the festivities were extended to include a craft fair on Church Street and the local church fair.  Armed with a large glass of Sangria from Pincho, we perused the stalls and sat in the sunshine watching the river races.

After staying in during the downpour to watch the Flotilla on TV, on the Bank Holiday Monday we met some friends and headed to favourite local Twickenham pubs. The White Swan had a BBQ going and a street party in aid of children's charity Shooting Star Chase - despite the gloomy weather  - where we enjoyed burgers, homemade chocolate cakes and more Rekorderlig! Once it started raining more heavily, we moved on to the Royal Oak to check out the 'Jumbilee' in aid of local charity HANDS, where I picked up some fab vintage bargains!

Amazing chicken and cider pie at The Fox!

Best of British - pie and mash

Jubilee Rekorderlig!

Later in the day, we managed to sit in the sunshine (while it lasted) drinking organic cider outside the lovely old Eel Pie pub, before heading to The Fox for the biggest pie I have ever eaten! We all ordered chicken and cider pie with mash and gravy - not realising you each get an enormous individual pie!  It was really tasty - fantastically hearty and quintessentially British in honour of the Jubilee! As we were particularly hungry after all the cider drinking, we ordered fries and chunky chips too, which were also delicious and went very well with the gravy!  Heartily recommended!

Ahmad Tea

Tea, tea and more tea!

I made the most of my time off over the Jubilee Bank Holidays by drinking lots and lots of tea! As well as my usual stash of Twinings and TeaPigs, I had the privilege of trying a selection of teas from the lovely people at Ahmad Tea, which have very appropriate historical paintings of London on the boxes.  


English Tea No.1 is a lovely blend of black teas with Bergamot and is a stylish alternative to Earl Grey.  It even has a flotilla scene on it, from the opening of Tower Bridge!  Very apt for Jubilee celebrations!  Their Earl Grey is also very refreshing, and I particularly like the Darjeeling and English Breakfast blend too!

And I made sure to have Jubilee-themed biscuits with my tea - I am addicted to Cadbury's biscuits (favourite chocolate on biscuits - what's not to love?!) and have eaten far too many over the past few weeks!

It was so good to be able to spend an extended period of time at home, by the river and with occasional sunshine!  But with all the celebrating, riverside wanderings, local pub visits and cider and tea drinking, I feel like I need a holiday now!

My kitchen - tea galore!

I think that signals time for a tea break - I'm off to put the kettle on again!

Hope you all had a lovely time over the Jubilee and here's hoping the sun hasn't gone away for good!


Until next time - enjoy your tea break!

Rachael X